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Following an extensive period of public and stakeholder consultation Dalby Offshore Services have now released their final design proposals for the “Yorkshire Offshore Renewable Energy Operations and Maintenance Centre” which is to be built on Endeavour Wharf , Whitby in the coming months.

Public and stakeholder consultation was held throughout 2014 and 2015 and the design is the culmination of this activity. The final scheme has been developed to take account of comments received from members of the public and stakeholders such as Historic England, Whitby Civic Society and Whitby Town Council. As a result the roof height has reduced and greater emphasis has been given to flood protection measures and the external appearance of the building.

The facility will act as the base for the transfer of goods and personnel to and from vessels bound for the offshore wind developments in the North Sea, primarily to the Dogger Bank and Hornsea sites. The building will house crew welfare and handling facilities, small goods cargo transfer area, operational office space and marine control facilities as well as some public exhibition space.

Dalby will be moving their own operation to the site and believe the facility will attract a number of other major marine renewables employers into the area. They anticipate that up to 300 direct jobs will be created in and around the site over the next 5 years.

Scarborough Borough Council Cabinet will now consider the final design and lease agreement on 16 February 2016. Subject to the Council’s consent Dalby will undertake detailed technical design and site surveys during the following weeks. Dalby then aim to commence construction in late spring /early summer of 2016 with a view to having the facility fully operational by spring 2017.

Please see links at bottom of page for information on what is proposed.

Closing date for receiving the forms is the 12th September 2015

Background

Dalby Offshore Services, in conjunction with Scarborough Borough Council, is developing Endeavour Wharf, Whitby to become a key Operations and Maintenance centre for the Offshore Wind industry.

Following the appointment of the architect, Group Ginger Ltd. of Leeds, and meetings with local stakeholder groups, Dalby Offshore Services is now seeking public comment on the concept design.

An exhibition of the concept design will be available for viewing at the Tourist Information centre, Langbourne Road, Whitby from Saturday 29th August. The public are invited to view the design and provide comments on the feedback forms available at the exhibition.

There will also be an opportunity to discuss the design directly with representatives of Dalby Offshore Services, Group Ginger and Scarborough Borough Council at a Public Consultation Event to be held at The Coliseum, Whitby between 11.00hrs and 15.00hrs on Saturday 5th September. This will include two opportunities to see a presentation from the architects 11.30 and 14.30.

Dalby Offshore have chosen the 2015 apprentices that will work towards and hopefully gain a ‘Workboat Apprenticeship’ in conjunction with 54 North Maritime Training in Whitby.

Chosen applicants were put through an interview process which saw candidates meeting with both Dalby Offshore’s HR Department and 54 North Maritime Training staff.

This year’s apprenticeship saw over 40 application submitted which were then whittled down to 20 applicants who received a questionnaire requesting further information from the candidate, after this process 8 candidates were interviewed by Dalby’s recruitment team and 5 of those 8 were selected to go on to a 2nd interview at 54 North Maritime.

From this Nick Marsay, 18, from Staithes and Chris Baxter, 23, from Scarborough were the chosen two that will start the year long course on the 1st September, both were very excited to hear the news!

Charlotte McNiven, HR Manager for Dalby Offshore who interviewed the candidates as part of the process along with HR Admin Assistant Sadie Osborne says ” We received a lot more applicants this year that not only shows that the interest in the industry is growing but also that people are keen to work in the industry especially for Dalby Offshore. Over the whole process the competition was very tough and the candidates who interviewed were all very good. However it was clear from early on that Nick and Chris both had the drive and commitment required to succeed. We very much look forward to working with the pair over the next year and watching them progress as valued members of the Dalby Team”

Both boys will work closely with our experienced crew and staff, when training offshore putting into practice the work learned in the classroom.

On speaking to both the apprentices after hearing of their success in the application – Chris stated ” I am excited to start my apprenticeship with Dalby offshore, learning new skills which I will put into practice working offshore with my team and hopefully becoming a valued member of Dalby’s rapidly growing business for years to come”

Nick also added “I have always had a keen interest in going to sea and I really appreciate the opportunity Dalby offshore have given me.”

This is the second year Dalby have run this scheme, with last year’s apprentices Josh Goodwill & Lewis Wright both on course to successfully finish in October. Watch this space for the September 2016 application process next year.

A programme of full public consultation on the proposals including an open day and presentations is being scheduled for late August and early September. Further details will be released in the next 2 weeks.

DALBY OFFSHORE LIMITED APPOINTS GROUP GINGER TO DESIGN THEIR NEW WHITBY HEADQUARTERS AND OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE CENTRE.

Group Ginger has been appointed by Dalby Offshore to design Yorkshire’s premier offshore, renewable centre, following a competitive tender. To be built on Endeavour Wharf, in the centre of historic Whitby, the new building(s) will house Dalby’s Headquarters and also will act as a combined centre for Operations and Maintenance, marine control, training and public exhibition.

Stuart McNiven, Managing Director of Dalby Offshore said,”We are delighted to appoint Group Ginger to this pivotal role in our development of Endeavour Wharf in Whitby. I have been impressed both by their concept designs and their commitment to engage further with our local stakeholders and the Dalby team to develop a solution that matches the heritage of the Port of Whitby. I am certain that this engagement and the professionalism of Group Ginger will deliver for Whitby and Yorkshire a superb development, which will act as the focal point for the Yorkshire Coast’s Commitment to the Offshore Wind Industry. The proposal is significant and when it reaches fruition, it will probably be the largest undertaking in the centre of Whitby in recent times.”

The building will be complemented by the development of a pontoon facility at the quay. Whitby has open access to the sea and some 300m of wharf space available to support both current and the next generation of fast support craft. The development is supported by the local borough council.

Cllr. Derek Bastiman, the leader of Scarborough Borough Council (SBC) said:”Local people will now have an opportunity to engage with this building design and I encourage them to do so; we have already discussed the design concepts with key local stakeholders and we will ensure that the public now have an opportunity to comment”.

His views were endorsed by Cllr. Mike Cockerill, portfolio holder for Harbours, Assets, Coast and Flood Protection who added, “This appointment in the development process of the centre for the servicing of the offshore wind industry is a huge step forward that is to be welcomed and I, together with my officers, look forward to working further with Dalby Offshore and with Group Ginger to develop the proposals. The re-development of this section of the harbour in support of offshore wind brings with it the prospect of jobs and year round economic activity which will benefit the town and the wider area.”

Group Ginger is an Architecture and urban design practice based in Leeds at the Tetley Art gallery. They specialise in creating intelligently designed spaces and buildings appropriate to their local environment. The practice is led by Simon Baker. “Each project is a partnership with the client and each design is founded on many conversations with the client and an understanding of local needs and the environmental context. We are extremely excited to be working with Dalby Offshore and the local community to realise this significant project for Whitby and the wider Yorkshire Region.”

A programme of stakeholder and public consultation regarding design of the facility will commence over the coming weeks.

Local training provider and Whitby’s offshore training ambassador Anne Hornigold (MBE) has been shortlisted for this years “Maritime Professional of the Year” at the Seawork 2015 annual conference(the UK’s international maritime industry exhibition and conference).

After many years of dedicated service training and preparing young people from throughout the UK for careers in the offshore industry, Anne has now been nominated by her peers for this prestigious award.

Click here to find out more, vote for Anne and get behind this local company on a national stage.

I am pleased to inform you that the first consent for offshore wind energy at Dogger Bank in the North Sea was granted by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change this week – making it the largest renewable energy development ever to receive planning consent in the UK.

The consent for Dogger Bank Creyke Beck is the result of more than four years of comprehensive assessments, stakeholder consultation and planning by the Forewind team.

Dogger Bank Creyke Beck has a total generating capacity of 2.4GW and comprises two separate 1.2GW offshore wind farms, each with up to 200 turbines and located 131 kilometres from the UK coast. They will both connect into the existing Creyke Beck substation near Cottingham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

When constructed, Dogger Bank Creyke Beck will be capable of generating 8 terrawatt hours (TWh) of green energy per annum, equal to the amount used annually by approximately 1.8 million British homes.

Dogger Bank Creyke Beck could create up to 4750 new direct and indirect full time equivalent jobs and generate more than £1.5 billion for the UK economy, with the majority of opportunities in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber regions.

This is particularly due to the regions’ proximity to the development as well as their historic strengths, existing skills in large-scale production activities and a marine support legacy.

An operator will be appointed for each wind farm and it will be their role to progress the projects through the next phase, pre-construction. Once the operators are in place, you will receive further correspondence with key contact details and anticipated timescales.

Until that time I would welcome any queries and would like to reiterate how exciting it is to be able to confirm to you that Dogger Bank Creyke Beck has been awarded development consent.

Dalby Offshore Services and Scarborough Borough Council formally agreed Heads of Terms for the long term lease on Endeavour Wharf, Whitby at the meeting of the council’s Cabinet on 17 March 2015.

The lease proposals are for the creation of an offshore renewables business management and marine control centre, which will include office space, crew and equipment handling, training facilities and marine control centre etc.

The multi million pound development will act as the operations and maintenance base for servicing offshore wind operations in the North Sea and will see offshore support vessels relaying personnel, goods and services via the Port of Whitby.

Captain Stuart McNiven, owner of Dalby Offshore Services said:

“After working closely with Scarborough Borough Council for a number of years, we are highly delighted that its Cabinet has decided to support the development of Endeavour Wharf as the future headquarters of Dalby Offshore and to be the focal point of North Yorkshire’s offshore renewable opportunities.”

“We believe Dalby will act as the anchor tenant to attract others (either starts up or established players) and create a “renewable cluster” of companies. Where better to be based than in the iconic Port of Whitby!”

“Dalby plan to move quickly to develop a detailed design for the site in conjunction with our numerous stakeholders, with a view to selecting a build company within the summer of 2015, with construction expected to take place later in the year.

“We appreciate the significant support given by Scarborough Borough Council and Whitby Harbour board. This should be seen as a template of how businesses, local authorities and stakeholders can work together to benefit local businesses and the wider community.”

Jim Dillon, Chief Executive of Scarborough Borough Council said:

“The decision lays the foundation for the creation of a whole new industry sector within the area, bringing with it significant opportunity for new job creation and investment. The agreement is the result of many years of work developing the relationships and working with the industry to put Whitby and the region on the ‘offshore services map’.

“The proposed development by Dalby will bring economic growth opportunities to the entire North Yorkshire area. We are hopeful that this will be the catalyst for many hundreds of high quality direct and indirect job opportunities for our communities.”

Before entering finalising the lease Dalby and the Borough Council will work over the coming months with stakeholders and the community to develop designs for the proposals.

In January 2010 Forewind, the consortium of four energy companies – SSE, RWE, Statoil and Statkraft – was awarded the rights to develop the Dogger Bank Zone by The Crown Estate as part of its third offshore wind leasing round, Round 3.

After more than three years of dedicated work, which included comprehensive surveys, reporting and ongoing stakeholder engagement, Forewind submitted its first development consent order application in August 2013.

We now eagerly await the Secretary of State’s consent decision for this project – Dogger Bank Creyke Beck – due by 17 February 2015.

Dogger Bank Creyke Beck will have an installed capacity of up to 2.4 GW and will connect into the existing Creyke Beck substation near Cottingham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It will comprise two wind farms, Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A and Dogger Bank Creyke Beck B – both are 131 kilometres from shore at their closest point.

In total it could generate around eight terawatt hours (TWh) of green electricity per annum, which is almost enough to power the equivalent of all the homes in the Yorkshire and Humber region every year.

I am taking this opportunity to update you on the current status and details of this project, and on Forewind’s second development consent order application, Dogger Bank Teesside A&B, connecting to the national grid at the existing Lackenby substation near Eston, next to the Wilton industrial complex. The six-month examination phase for this latter application will end this week and the consent decision is expected in August this year.

We have prepared the attached fact sheet for your information and would welcome any feedback or requests for further information. General factsheet_February 2015